A police officer accused of fatally shooting a teenager who threatened to charge at him in 2014 was finally acquitted after a second trial, which constitutes the last act in a long legal saga.
• Read also: Despite a judicial “slippage”, a new trial for a police officer accused of involuntary manslaughter
• Read also: A new trial for the SQ police officer who shot and killed a teenager in Sainte-Adèle
• Read also: Teenager killed in Sainte-Adèle: it all starts again for an accused police officer
“I am of the opinion that the accused used the necessary and proportional force to protect himself,” says Judge Éric Côté, in a 54-page judgment rendered Tuesday morning at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
The magistrate thus cleared Éric Deslauriers of the charges of manslaughter targeting him, almost exactly a decade after the tragedy that turned his career upside down.
“His actions are consistent with the essence of the teaching given to police officers, with the directives of the Sûreté du Québec, regarding the use of a firearm,” concluded Judge Côté.
This decision was greatly anticipated: the 52-year-old’s relatives and colleagues were so numerous that two courtrooms were packed and charged with emotion.
After his acquittal, Éric Deslauriers multiplied the accolades.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
The corridor of the Saint-Jérôme courthouse was crowded.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
Tears and relief
As soon as the police officer was acquitted, sobs could be heard and great relief could be seen on the faces of those present.
- Listen to the legal segment with Nicole Gibeault via
:
At the end of the hearing, the main person concerned, who preferred not to grant an interview, presented a red face and multiplied the well-felt hugs.
The atmosphere was completely different in May 2018, when the police officer was sentenced to 4 years in prison by judge Joëlle Roy.
Joëlle Roy, in 2015
Martin Alarie / JdeM
The Court of Appeal, however, ordered a new trial, because the magistrate had excluded evidence favorable to the self-defense pleaded by Deslauriers.
The case amounted to a “judicial slippage,” even said the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Richard Wagner, during a hearing.
With a bang
This saga was triggered on January 22, 2014, when Sergeant Deslauriers located a stolen car in the parking lot of the Sainte-Adèle high school.
After stopping his patrol car in such a way as to block any exit to the car, he ordered the suspect driver to get out and show him his hands.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified by court order, instead revved the car’s engine and when the police officer drew his weapon, the victim sped off forward.
Expert sketches included in the judgment demonstrate the trajectory of the vehicle driven by the teenager. According to an expert, the Mazda passed a few centimeters from the police officer.
Screenshot, elements filed in court
The sergeant immediately fired two projectiles towards the young driver, fatally hitting him.
“I have always been a police officer to help people and save lives. I never wanted to take a life that day. I wanted to protect my own life,” he testified.
The scene where the drama took place, in Sainte-Adèle.
MAXIME DELAND/AGENCE QMI
During the legal proceedings, the impartiality of judge Joëlle Roy was questioned for comments made in 2012, before her appointment. In particular, she argued that too many police interventions resulted in deaths.
“That’s I don’t know how many people who are actually murdered by police officers,” she said during an interview with Claude Poirier.
30 days
Éric Deslauriers, who has more than 20 years of experience, is still a member of the Sûreté du Québec.
The provincial police indicated to the Newspaper take note of the judgment, but will not comment further for the moment.
The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) has 30 days to appeal the verdict. The public prosecutor indicated that it was “analyzing the reasons supporting this decision”.